Before the liturgy even began, my beloved Henry Gerike shared a priceless gift with me. A copy of a letter his dear father had written to him back when Henry was in college. I don't think he'd mind if I quoted my favorite lines: "The Christian faith deals in absolutes...the absolute truth. This is Jesus Christ and the inspired Word. Jesus Christ being the absolute truth then also becomes a discipline of life and thought as well as an assurance. The Christian admits to some mysteries and problems. By the discipline of the absolute truth in Jesus Christ, the believer is prevented from going overboard in a vain search for answers as well as being assured by that same Truth that the mysteries remain only for the time. The timelessness of eternity will find us knowing the mysteries as are now known by God." I never had the joy of meeting Henry's father, but right there I fell in love with this great pastor of the Church. Yes, and yes. Jesus is the truth that finally holds. Beautiful words of comfort on the day of Dr. Nagel's funeral.
Paul Grime started us off on the organ bench with music that invited meditation upon some of the truly great hymn texts of our faith. Particularly striking was the jaunty Michael Burkhardt setting of "Lord, Thee I Love" with some fine trumpet work by the Jon Vieker the younger. Paul's final piece in the set was particularly apt. "Before Thy throne I now appear... Grant that in peace I close mine eyes; But on the last day, bid me rise, And let me see Thy face fore'er—Amen, Amen, Lord, hear my prayer." This, according to tradition, is the final piece Bach worked on as he lay dying, dictating to his son-in-law some changes in what he had previously done on the tune. Yes, I almost lost it right there.
Jon Vieker was the liturgist and conducting the liturgy in his usual stately and reverent manner. And he threw the rubrics to the wind to throw in more music! How fitting! "Music, which enlarges and elevates the adoration of our gracious Giver God" (LW Intro). After a setting by Vieker of Psalm 122 and the opening remembrance of Baptism, the congregation belted out "Jesus Lives!" The choir answered with "Kyrie, God Father in Heaven Above." Philip Magness was our fine conductor who in his leading us embodied the music and helped us in one brief rehearsal to let the music serve, not overpower, the words.
After the collect, the choir was blessed to sing a Choral Anthem by Henry Gerike that he'd composed for Dr. Nagel's 90th, "Commit Thy Way Unto the Lord," when we presented him with a book of essays by his students. Isaiah 25 was answered with Mark Bender's fine setting of "Abide with Me." Revelation 7 answered with "Behold a Host." The Transfiguration Gospel from St. Matthew answered with the Creed and (what else???) "Lord, Thee I Love."
Pr. Bruzek gave us a most comforting homily on the Gospel that left us marveling with Moses and Elijah and Nagel at the Lord's exodus and how because of that He will say to us at the end: "Rise. Do not be afraid." To His servant Norman. To you. It was gold, and I'm short changing it. Do give it a read or listen if you get the chance.
Then prayer of the Church and Our Father and Nunc Dimittis onto the end. After the liturgy, we heard briefly from both District President Lee Hagan (a Nagel student) and Dr. Dale Meyer (a Nagel colleague and head of the institution where Dr. Nagel taught so long). Both succeeded in NOT giving eulogies, but in giving praise to God for the gift of Dr. Nagel. Lee gave us joy from the intro to LW. Dale made us smile with how Dr. Nagel always invited us to be a peculiar people in the Church!
Out with "For All the Saints" and when you thought the peace and joy could not mingle more sweetly with the sorrow, along comes Grime on the organ giving us "Christ Lag in Todesbanden" by Bach.
For Your servant, our dear Dr. Nagel, glory to You, Lord Jesus!
For the wisdom You gave him and which he labored to impart to others that they might rejoice in You and be awed at Your Calvary love, glory to You, Lord Jesus!
For renewing in Your church the doctrine of the office of the holy ministry, that we might remember what Christ set us here to do, glory to You, Lord Jesus!
For the childlike joy in the faith that Your servant set before us in countless way, calling us to join him in delighting in Your Words and promises and finding in them what cannot fail us, You, Jesus, Yourself, glory to You, Lord Jesus!
6 comments:
Thanks be to God.
Is there a link available to the service, for those of us who were not able to attend?
Yes! https://livestream.com/accounts/151603/events/8852486/player?width=640&height=360&enableInfoAndActivity=true&defaultDrawer=&autoPlay=true&mute=false
Henry's definitely a Gerike; he looks just like my grandfather! Henry's father, Victor, was my grandfather's brother. They came from a family of eleven children. The last surviving sibling died last summer. Four of the brothers were in the Ministry, somewhere I have a photo of them and their pastor father standing in a field in black gowns and preaching bands. For a time Victor and my grandfather served at the same congregation in Bloomington, IL. Gerhardt was the last of the four to pass to glory back in 2014 at the age of 103. It was a blessing to have Henry at the organ bench, tickling the ivorys at Dad's funeral.
So many family members who exhibited a joyful confidence in the Lord Jesus, and who modeled a lifetime of service to His people!
"We feebly struggle, they in glory shine; Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine. Alleluia! Alleluia!"
Truly gorgeous; well related, Pastor Weedon! I cried at the procession because I could hear him teaching in my head, and it wouldn't stop like Jesus' fountain of grace; it was things not only for preaching and teaching correctly, but for moments in life like sitting across from a woman bent on divorcing you after she'd had an affair. He taught us the audacity to live out the Gospel and to listen to how the Father is disciplining us sinner-preachers to do so, even as we go forth proclaiming His abundance. Just priceless and poetic; often missed by even the faithful pastors; still the right choice I made to lose a lot in the settlements and in the ministry and in all the rest. "The violent take it by force" but the poem sings out, "Lord, Thee I love with all my heart / I pray Thee ne'er from me depart!" The Lord suffers Himself to be killed. But He rises to new life, always and ever.
"The beginning is the ending is the beginning. In Christ!" N. Nagel :-)
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